Before thinking of 2014, thank you to all who were involved with the 2013 DrupalCorn Camp. It was a highly successful event. Thank you to each volunteer, presenter, leader, promoter and attendee. Also, thank you to the University of Iowa for the kind hospitality, welcoming atmosphere and beautiful site for the event. The camp was fun, educational, and exceptional! All of these efforts, from each involved, are what encourage such a wonderful Drupal Community to keep connected from the Midwest and beyond.
With that said, it’s never too early to think about next year, right? Due to a recent opportunity regarding a venue for the 2014 DrupalCorn Camp, you are invited to join an open meeting on Wednesday, December 11, 2013 at Noon. We will be meeting on IRC (irc.freenode.net) in the drupalcorn channel. During this time we will also be meeting in person on the Iowa State University campus (Room 13 Curtiss Hall) and The University of Iowa (University Capitol Centre 2840). If you would like to join us in person.
We currently have a contract in hand for the FFA Enrichment Center located on the DMACC campus in Ankeny, IA for the dates of Thursday July 17 through Sunday July 20 for the 2014 DrupalCorn Camp. During this meeting we would like to discuss this opportunity. Anyone may join in the discussion however we would like the steering committee from last year to hold the final vote for this facility and date.
We hope you can join us and look forward to discussing this potential location and date for the 2014 DrupalCorn Camp!
FFA Enrichment Center - http://www.ffaenrichmentcenter.com/
Google map: https://maps.google.com/maps?q=ankeny+iowa&hnear=Ankeny,+Polk,+Iowa&gl=us&t=m&z=11
Comments
We have room 13 Curtiss Hall
We have room 13 Curtiss Hall reserved for the physical meeting about DrupalCorn Camp 2014, if you want to join us on campus. We will be meeting on IRC (irc.freenode.net) in the #drupalcorn channel if you can't make it physically.
UIowa location
The on-campus meeting location at The University of Iowa will be at the University Capitol Center, room 2840. It's the large conference room in the ITS space- we'll have the outside door to the hallway open.
2014 Steering Committee
I would like to propose the group handle this decision-making process differently.
I think we should build the 2014 steering committee first, then that committee can make the final call on date and location.
Reasoning:
I agree
I agree that the 2014 steering committee should make the final call on the date and location since they will be responsible for all other decisions regarding the 2014 camp.
I think the current 2013
I think the current 2013 committee should make the decision on venue and dates. Anyone who wants out of the committee can abstain from the vote. Once the location and date are set, we can bring on new and more committee/subcommittee members. In 2012 there was a lot of interest in people helping out, but when the time came to actually start planning, a lot of the people who said they were interested never showed up for the initial meetings. Most of the work for a camp happens locally. If we have a committee not involved in the local area, it can make things difficult. Having the new committee members have at least one camp under their belt before they take on a larger role in organizing the camp will help establish who is willing to put in the time and effort. I would love to see some CF/Waterloo or CR people join the committee this year so they can learn from our past experiences and host an awesome event in 2015.
Let's stay focused on this proposal for this meeting.
We do not have to work out all the details of the process before we can make a decision. Ann has done a great amount of work to put this together and we should honor that effort. There is no challenge to Ann's commitment or abilities. She has primed us with the earliest decision to date and we should not miss that opportunity.
Let's focus this meeting on making a decision with the organizational structure we have now. All we have is last year's committee to supply a vote.
That said....
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Inspired by how the DrupalCons are organized...
I propose this organizational structure:
I propose these processes:
Some "body" must decide where the next location should be. Having the previous camp committee or even the current camp committee is flawed due to bias in either direction. The Drupal community has solved this with a permanent committee that crosses years, the Drupal Association. We need a similar body and last year's committee will do for now.
A champion from a location must submit a bid (including venue and dates) and must have served on a DrupalCorn camp committee prior. In this way we will pass on knowledge and protect our success going forward.
The location champion must be within reasonable distance from the venue so they can be the lead locally as well as leading the steering committee.
The winning location bid should be decided by the Core Committee by or at the current camp so that it can be announced then. Just like DrupalCon.
Regards,
Michael Hofmockel
Open Source || Open Access || Open Mind
Agree
Thank you for providing this clarity, Michael. I truly believe we have invested core team members to align with this proposed structure. With this proposed structure, we are allowing ourselves to grow, add additional members and ensure an organizational plan.
We are also able to keep consistency in that experience across years can provide a strong foundation. It's an honor to be a part of this core committee and would be a privilege to serve as a local champion for the FFA location should that be decided.
I look forward to the 2014 camp and those that follow.